That's the thing, r/btc isn't actually interested in scaling, they're just complaining for contrarian sake - whatever core gives up they'll just ask for more. I'm not a conspiracy guy but, I think a lot of folks on Ver's side being paid for by some big entity, goverment or otherwise.

This site looks incredibly sketchy. No information on who is behind this... I would not trust this site.

Edit: Also notice that the payment methods they accept either can not be reversed or are very difficult to reverse. In addition, the location given of the "HQ" is just an apartment building complex. Not to mention the site itself is very unprofessional looking.

Well there's probably a lot of sites to avoid, too many to list I would imagine. Regardless, using Bitcoin means having a strong sense of personally responsibility which requires due diligence and skepticism when trusting third parties with your precious bits. Just be sure to do your research before diving into anything that seems to good to be true.

That said, here's my Bitcoin starter pack to help you out. Start with the following FAQ and Bitcoin 101 info:

Just curious if all the comments here will simply be hyperbolic rhetoric and name calling... or does someone actually have a coherent technical rebuttal to what Andreas has spoken about in the podcast?

I downvoted this because this post is just as bad as the hyperbole and conspiracy garbage over at /r/btc. I get that you don't like his opinion on the scaling debate and that's fine, but this type of irrational rhetoric is what is hurting Bitcoin the most and unfortunately it is coming from both sides, cluttering the actual technical conversation, and making it difficult for users to make rational decisions.

Well this is just money that has been seized and reported, it's not counting the cash that cops just steal outright and pocket for themselves. If you were able to count the amount of unreported money cops have stole in the past when there was less accountability and video cameras I'm sure it was pretty high.